---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I get more optimistic as I get older."
description: "\"I get more optimistic as I get older.\" — Richard Flanagan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/richard-flanagan-2253_get_i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older-237_2379705.jpg"
---

#  I get more optimistic as I get older.

![“I get more optimistic as I get older.” quote by Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/richard-flanagan-2253_get_i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older-237_2379705.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/richard-flanagan-2253_get_i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older-237_2379705.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/richard-flanagan-2253_get_i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older-237_2379705.jpg)

> “I get more optimistic as I get older.”

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Optimism tends to increase with age as experience brings perspective and confidence.

**In simple terms:** Older people often feel more hopeful.

Key Takeaway

Embrace aging as a chance to grow optimism.

Themes

aging optimism experience

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- personal relationships
- health decisions
- mentoring

Key Concepts

psychology life-course development

Questions to Reflect On

- How does age influence your outlook?
- What habits nurture optimism over time?

A Different Perspective

Optimism may be challenged by health decline or societal ageism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older/) [Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic/) [Optimistic Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic-older-5693457/)

## Related quotes

> [As all creative people, we have our optimistic side and a darker side. Yes, I would say that I am more optimistic than not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/as-all-creative-people-we-have-our-optimistic-side-and-a-darker-side/)

[Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/)

> [The older I get, the more I'm saving the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-millsap/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-m-saving-the-day/)

[Paul Millsap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-millsap/)

> [I am optimistic globally. So many scientists are working frantically on the reparation of our planet. Unfortunately there are countries who are still destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-irwin/i-am-optimistic-globally-so-many-scientists-are-working-frantically/)

[Steve Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-irwin/)

> [Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, but I think this country is finally ready for a black serial killer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/perhaps-i-m-being-too-optimistic-but-i-think-this-country-is-finally/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Being positive helps you to keep away negative thoughts. And helps you to stand in adverse circumstances with the hope that in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-positive-helps-you-to-keep-away-negative-thoughts-and-helps-you/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [I am to positive to be doubtful too optimistic too be fearful and too determined too be defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-to-positive-to-be-doubtful-too-optimistic-too-be-fearful-and-too/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [I am optimistic. But I also know that, with time, I'm beginning to fight issues of aging as well as long-term paralysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-am-optimistic-but-i-also-know-that-with-time-i-m-beginning-to-fight/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [There was the natural human survival instinct to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-demick/there-was-the-natural-human-survival-instinct-to-be-optimistic/)

[Barbara Demick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-demick/)

> [I always loved putting on shows - when you're the youngest of seven and five are older sisters, you've got to get noticed somehow!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wenham/i-always-loved-putting-on-shows-when-you-re-the-youngest-of-seven-and/)

[David Wenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wenham/)

> [When you get older, you learn certain life lessons. You apply that wisdom, and suddenly you say, 'Hey, I've got a new lease on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/when-you-get-older-you-learn-certain-life-lessons-you-apply-that/)

[Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/)

> [I think it is nice to get older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-crown-princess-of-denmark/i-think-it-is-nice-to-get-older/)

[Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-crown-princess-of-denmark/)

> [Most people don't grow up. It's too damn difficult. What happens is most people get older. That's the truth of it. They honor their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/most-people-don-t-grow-up-it-s-too-damn-difficult-what-happens-is/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [When you start learning how to give when you're young, when you get older it is second nature. Just like stealing. Start young and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mechai-viravaidya/when-you-start-learning-how-to-give-when-you-re-young-when-you-get/)

[Mechai Viravaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mechai-viravaidya/)

> [Birthdays are getting harder as I get older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/birthdays-are-getting-harder-as-i-get-older/)

[Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/)

## More by Richard Flanagan

> [I went to study at Oxford University in the 1980s on an imperial scholarship instituted by Cecil Rhodes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-went-to-study-at-oxford-university-in-the-1980s-on-an-imperial/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [Writing is not lying, nor is it theft. It is a journey and search for transparency between one’s words and one’s soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/writing-is-not-lying-nor-is-it-theft-it-is-a-journey-and-search-for/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [In reading, you sense the divine: the things that are larger and greater and more mysterious than yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-reading-you-sense-the-divine-the-things-that-are-larger-and/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [Within white Australia, there was a growing movement for what was known as reconciliation - a movement that peaked with millions marching in 2000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/within-white-australia-there-was-a-growing-movement-for-what-was/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [Murder and hate are as deeply buried in the human heart as love, perhaps more so, and in truth they're rather entwined, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/murder-and-hate-are-as-deeply-buried-in-the-human-heart-as-love/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [My father was the first to read in his family, and he said to me that words were the first beautiful thing he ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-father-was-the-first-to-read-in-his-family-and-he-said-to-me-that/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [I grew up in a world that was clannish - old Tasmanian-Irish families with big extended families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-grew-up-in-a-world-that-was-clannish-old-tasmanian-irish-families/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [If 30 Australians drowned in Sydney Harbour, it would be a national tragedy. But when 30 or more refugees drown off the Australian coast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/if-30-australians-drowned-in-sydney-harbour-it-would-be-a-national/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [The enslavement, humiliation, torture, and ultimate destruction of thousands upon thousands of human beings for a project for which there was ultimately no purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-enslavement-humiliation-torture-and-ultimate-destruction-of/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [In Tasmania, an island the size of Ireland whose primeval forests astonished 19th-century Europeans, an incomprehensible ecological tragedy is being played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-tasmania-an-island-the-size-of-ireland-whose-primeval-forests/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [You have to attempt to find new forms that will force you to write freshly and better and hopefully more truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/you-have-to-attempt-to-find-new-forms-that-will-force-you-to-write/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [My mother hoped I'd be a plumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-mother-hoped-i-d-be-a-plumber/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [Family matters, friends matter, love matters. Those you love and who love you matter. That's what writing does - it allows you to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/family-matters-friends-matter-love-matters-those-you-love-and-who/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [A good book ... leaves you wanting to reread the book. A great book compels you to reread your own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/a-good-book-leaves-you-wanting-to-reread-the-book-a-great-book/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

[Explore all 176 Richard Flanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

## More Get quotes

> [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/)

[Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/)

> [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/)

[John Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whiting/)

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/)

[Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/)

> [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/)

[Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/)

[Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/)

> [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/)

[Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/)

> [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/)

[Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/)

> [Well this is aptly called a junket, for both of us. I have never been to a house of prostitution, but I understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/well-this-is-aptly-called-a-junket-for-both-of-us-i-have-never-been/)

[Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/)

> [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/)

[Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/)

> [Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/most-people-do-surprisingly-poorly-when-dealing-with-a-relative-who/)

[David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/)

[Browse all 15,894 Get quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I get more optimistic as I get older.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Flanagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Get"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/richard-flanagan-2253_get_i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older-237_2379705.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/richard-flanagan-2253_get_i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older-237_2379705.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/richard-flanagan-2253_get_i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older-237_2379705.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I get more optimistic as I get older.” — Richard Flanagan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Richard Flanagan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I get more optimistic as I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
